Joan Ganz Cooney American television producer Date of Birth: 30.11.1929 Country: USA

Joan Ganz Cooney: A Biography

Joan Ganz Cooney, an American television producer, was born on November 30, 1929, in Phoenix, Arizona. She added her mother's maiden name to her own, becoming Joan Redden Ganz. Her mother was an Irish Catholic from Michigan, while her father, Sylvan Ganz, was a German-Jewish man born in Phoenix. Despite the age difference of 13 years between her parents, Joan's childhood was peaceful and prosperous. Her father, an executive vice president at the First National Bank in Phoenix, always had a job even during the Great Depression. Summers were spent in a country house, where Joan often retreated with a book rather than playing with her siblings, much to her mother's dismay.

Joan attended public school initially but later transferred to St. Francis Xavier, a Catholic school, for six years. During World War II, the family had to sell their country home due to gas rationing. In high school, Joan had separate classes from her brothers and sisters, allowing her to develop her own interests. She desired to become an actress and participated in school plays and state-level theater competitions. She gave up acting in college when her father stated his disapproval of her career choice.

Initially attending Dominican College, a Catholic all-girls school, Joan later transferred to the University of Arizona, where she graduated in 1951 with a bachelor's degree in education. It was her mother's suggestion for her to become a teacher since they easily found employment and were home at the same time as their children, which would be beneficial in case their husbands died.

After college, Joan worked for the government in Washington, DC, and briefly lived in New York City, which she fell in love with. She then returned to Phoenix and wrote a women's column for the Arizona Republic. Eventually, Joan moved to New York City and found work at NBC, where she promoted a lineup of soap operas. Upon hearing about the emergence of educational television, she became fascinated with the idea. Her first program, "Court of Reason," featured two opponents debating while being judged by a panel of three experts. Sadly, there are no existing recordings of the show, which had notable guests such as Malcolm X.

During the production of her first documentary film, Joan met her first husband, Tim Cooney. Soon after, she became interested in the concept of children's television and conducted national research to lay the foundation for what is now known worldwide as "Sesame Street." In October 1990, Joan stepped down as CEO of Sesame Workshop to focus on the creative side of the company's projects. However, she remains the chairman of the board of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, which was established in 2007 to study the role of digital technology in children's education.

Throughout her television career, Joan has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She has also been honored with honorary degrees from Boston College, Princeton University, Harvard University, the University of Arizona, Brown University, Columbia University, New York University, and Dartmouth College. Currently, Joan Ganz Cooney resides in New York City.